:-:-:-:-:CHAPTER THIRTEEN:-:-:-:-:-
"Aaaaah!" Kagome yawned, as she awoke in her beautiful, ornate bedroom, totally refreshed and ready for anything.
The miko sat up in her bed and really took in the detail of her room—it was very large. The walls, like many other parts of the castle, had intricate designs engraved into the stone. She examined her bed next; it was a magnificent, king-sized four poster, with crème and light blue colored silk sheets, which where now crumpled and ruffled up due to her wonderful nights' sleep. A desk was in the far corner and in front of her was the hallway to her bath and sink. Off to the side was a large sitting area with ornate chairs and tables.
Kagome yawned again and stretched. Only then did she realize the demoness standing next to the door.
"Kyah!" Kagome screamed, twisting around and falling off the bed with a loud and painful sounding thump.
The miko emerged over the edge of the bed seconds later, untangling her legs from the twisted silken sheets that had fallen to the bedroom floor along with her. She looked over at the door and the demon was gone. Kagome sighed and let go of the side of the bed, dropping to the floor and there, crouched in front of her was the demoness.
"Please forgive me, my lady! I didn't mean to frighten you. Sesshoumaru-sama ordered me as your personal servant." She said franticly. The demoness stood up and helped Kagome to her feet then she bowed deeply.
"You don't have to call me your lady! Really, I'm not into all these formalities." Kagome said, waving her hand as if brushing off the title.
"Hai." She mumbled, bowing again.
"Ah," Kagome caught the shoulders of the girl and brought her upright, "And the bowing can stop too." Kagome muttered, laughing.
"Hai." The servant said again, cracking a small smile.
"So what's your name?" Kagome asked, while walking to her closet like Akina advised her to the day before.
"My name is Kiori. Oh, yes, I was supposed to tell you that Sesshoumaru-sama bought you new kimonos, he said the one you owned was shameful." She looked Kagome up and down, seeing nothing wrong with the skirt or shirt. Then shrugged.
"Oh, he said something about the way I dress?" growing fury was easily distinguished in her normally calm, chocolate eyes. Her school uniform was her favorite and most comfortable outfit she had! Who was he to be commenting on the way she dressed when he was the one wearing the weird, furry, boa thing!
"N-no, nothing my lady, it's just that he would feel much more comfortable if...ah...you wore something…different." Kiori explained trying not to get the miko upset. She heard of the powers the miko had: how her hands glow pink and how she can barely control it herself, just coming out with her emotions.
"Humph, well these had better be good…" Kagome grumbled in a huffy voice as she pulled on the handles of the large marble doors of the closet. They came open surprisingly easy, for some really heavy looking doors. The sight that met her eyes made her breath catch in her throat. The kimonos residing in her closet where utterly gorgeous! There where the ones with large sleeves and ones that where short in length with short sleeves, there where black and gold ones, crème colored silks and every other variety of color and fabric possibly imaginable.
"They're beautiful!" Kagome breathed, gazing at the closet jam-packed closet of colorful kimonos. Kiori smiled warmly at her excitement, what did she think she'd be getting? Rags?
"Sesshoumaru-sama ordered nothing but the best for you and Rin." Kiori told her in a gentle voice. Kagome reached out and touched the silk hems of the closest formal kimono in reach, still completely speechless.
"Rin got new kimonos too?" Kagome asked, for lack of anything else better to say.
"Hai, her old ones were a tad small." Kiori said, walking toward Kagome, to peer over her shoulder into the closet.
"So, which one would you like to wear?" Kiori asked, cocking her head to one side with a smile on her face.
"Which one? God, I don't care! They're all so beautiful!" Kagome exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.
Kiori laughed, reached beyond Kagome, and unhooked a cute, short, form-fitting, light pink kimono with a vine of crimson roses streaming down the left side. The neck collar had the same color hem around the top as the roses, as did the sleeves and the around the bottom of the kimono. The hook-like latches where also the same crimson color. To top it all off, a magnificent light pink necklace with an intricate rose pendant hung around the vacant necks of the beautiful kimono.
"God, why would Sesshoumaru get me such beautiful kimonos?" Kagome asked, as the breathtaking garment was laid out before her on her four-poster by a grinning Kiori.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kiori asked vaguely, carefully laying out the kimono, her shining silver hair falling over her shoulders.
"Is…isn't what obvious?" Kagome questioned, her forehead creased slightly, as she toyed with the crimson obi that went with the kimono in her slender fingers.
"Why would Sesshoumaru-sama get you such fine silk kimonos, if you where simply just another human to him? I know it's not my place to say, but I think he likes you." She explained bluntly, turning on her heel to pace across Kagome's room from her four-poster to her closet to close the opened marble doors.
"I-I don't know what your talking about! Sesshoumaru couldn't like me! That's just weird. Anyway, he despises all humans besides Rin, remember?" Kagome reasoned, still twisting the obi in her hands.
"Well, maybe he's going soft." Kiori tried. She turned back around to face Kagome. "Oh well, that's just what I think. Anyway, it is about time for him to be thinking of finding a mate…" Kiori muttered, more to herself than to Kagome.
"Akina mentioned that, too. But shouldn't have Sesshoumaru been searching for a mate for like…centuries? He's really old isn't he?" Kagome asked. She knew Inuyasha had to be older than fifty because that's how long he was pinned to the tree, plus he was already grown up. And Sesshoumaru was his big brother, so he'd have to be hundreds of years old.
"Hai, but youkai age much more slowly than humans. Compared to many other high class demons, like his father for instance, Sesshoumaru would merely be child, about nine or ten probably. In human years? Hmm… well, I guess he'd most likely be around one thousand years old. Of course lesser demons, like master Jaken, live for a much shorter time." Kiori explained thoughtfully.
"What? Wow! I knew he was old, but one thousand and he's just a child?" Kagome cried
"Sure. And this is about mating time for demons like Sesshoumaru, that's why I originally thought he brought you here: to be his mate." Kiori said.
"No, no, no you are definitely mistaken. There are way too many powerful demonesses that would love to have Sesshoumaru for a mate! Why would he choose me?" Kagome inquired her hands on her small waist, and looking expectantly at Kiori for the answer.
"Hmm…I don't know. Anyway…breakfast is ready; you do not want to keep Sesshoumaru-sama waiting." She stated in a suddenly business-like tone.
"Oh, right…breakfast. I'll go bathe."
"Would you like any help?"
"Help?" Kagome asked, an arching an eyebrow. 'Oh yeah, she's supposed to be my servant, I forgot.' She thought.
"Ah, no, I'll be fine!" Kagome called out loudly, because the thunderous sound of the small waterfall spilling liquid into the miniature pool echoed around in the stone walls of the castle.
Ten minutes later Kagome emerged from the bathing room with a towel around her torso and another wrapped around her hair. Her face was flushed from the warm water and her scrubbing, and all the mirrors in her room where now fogged up due to her relaxing, hot bath.
"Come, Kagome, we must hurry so you are not late." Kiori exclaimed, gripping the end of the towel wrapped around Kagome's body and pulling. Kagome did a full three-sixty as the towel was yanked away from her body, leaving her nude for about a split second.
"Hey-" She cried, but the rest of what ever she was going to say was lost to a series of mumbles caused by Kiori pulling the kimono clean over her head. Once Kagome's cranium emerged from the collar of the cute kimono she sent a death glare at Kiori who just grinned playfully.
"You could have warned me, y'know!" Kagome admonished, but as she turned away from Kiori and gazed into a mirror, now defogged, she had to admit she did look good. Kagome took a brush up from her vanity and ran it through her shining raven locks until she was satisfied. She set down the brush again and sighed.
"Aright, let's go." She said while walking toward the door and motioning for Kiori to follow.
"C'mon, I still haven't remembered the way yet." She confessed with a laugh. Kiori giggled and followed her out her bedroom door. Kagome let her walk in front of her so she could lead the way.
"So you really think Sesshoumaru likes me?" Kagome asked with a blush, walking through the cold stone corridors of the castle.
"Yes, I do. But didn't you say you didn't believe me?" Kiori asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her. Kagome was silent. Truthfully, she didn't believe it one bit.
"What would be so bad about having Sesshoumaru-sama as a mate? You don't think he is handsome enough?" Kiori questioned with a laugh.
"God, no! He's the most gorgeous demon I've seen in my life…but he's so…unemotional, so icy." Kagome walked without looking where she was going, examining her feet, and following Kiori by her voice.
"He's not always like that you know." She said quietly, "You should see him with Rin." She gave a small affectionate laugh. "They're inseparable! It's so cute to watch." She explained, a gentle smile touching her lips.
Kagome smiled as well.
"Akina said the exact same thing." She said, looking up. Now she recognized their location, they where getting close to the dining hall.
"I bet she did. That unicorn knows more about Sesshoumaru-sama than anyone. They've been friends basically since birth, but everyone thought that she'd abandon their relationship after he went all 'ice prince' on us, but she never gave up even though her clan has their own land to watch over and she is next in line to claim the responsibility. The Unicorns reign over the northern lands." Kiori said to the miko walking aside her.
"Oh, she didn't tell me that! I didn't know she had her own lands."
"Well, she doesn't own it at the moment; her father is lord right now."
"Oh, well how come she spends so much time here if her father owns land?" Kagome asked. Playing with the beautiful necklace she had hung around her neck.
"No one knows, really. I guess she just likes the castle and spending time here with her 'Sesshy-kun'." Kiori laughed.
"Oh, really? Well she seems to have a soft spot for my friend, Miroku as well. They've gotten really close to each other, you know. Never find one without the other since they met." Kagome said chuckling, and wondering how a perverted monk such as himself could acquire such a close and not to mention beautiful friend and only asking her once to bear his children. It was beyond her. That houshi must have asked Sango a dozen times!
'Sango…NO! Don't even start thinking of them. You have a new life now, in Sesshoumaru's castle, with Rin. I'm done being second best to Kikyo, and now Sango! He's hurt me a thousand too many times, I'm through with him! I have to move on! Maybe…I mean, Miroku found someone that he likes, who knows, there might be a demon in this castle that's just for me!' Kagome thought hopefully and shoved any further memories of that baka hanyou out of her mind to realize that Kiori was trying talking to her.
"Hellooo? Kagome? Are you alright?" Kagome heard Kiori's voice say. The demoness was waving a hand in front of her face and snapping her fingers repeatedly.
"Yes, I'm fine." Kagome said quickly and swatted Kiori's hand away with her own.
They arrived at the hall after a couple minutes more of conversation between themselves. As Kagome walked into the dining hall, alone because servants where not allowed to enter, she spotted Rin and Sesshoumaru already sitting in their usual seats at the long table, waiting for her. His face was stern and Rin merely looked bored and hungry, as soon as she saw Kagome, her face lit up and a grin stretched across it.
"Kagome-chan! Good morning!" she said loudly, and waved her tiny hand at her.
"Good morning, Rin." Kagome replied, gazing warmly at the little child that was waving frantically at her to sit in the seat next to her.
"You're late." Sesshoumaru said icily.
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A/N: Thanks for reading
JA NE!